In 1937, Japanese forces trampled across North China, and the Nanliang revolutionary base became a key defensive barrier for the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region. Young Dong Zhiyao was a hunter from a mountain village in Nanliang, skilled in his family's traditional martial arts and mechanical devices. After his home was destroyed, he joined the tide of resistance against Japan. With a deep understanding of On Protracted War and a talent for adapting ancient military strategies, he led a militia guerrilla unit through the dense forests of the Ziwuling Mountains, using tunnels and mountain streams to lay ambushes and repeatedly rout enemy troops with the “Sixteen-Character Formula.” During the fighting, he fell for Nanliang Hong, a member of the propaganda team, after they bonded over Qingyang folk songs. Together, they used paper-cuttings to pass secret messages and shadow puppetry as a cover, building an underground intelligence network. From guerrilla warfare to establishing the base, from land reform to cooperation between soldiers and civilians, Dong Zhiyao gradually grew into an anti-Japanese commander with both strategic skill and a sense of responsibility. Nanliang Hong, meanwhile, used embroidery to convey strategic maps and organized women to support the front lines. As the Japanese army launched sweeps and encirclement campaigns, the two joined forces, laying minefields with Mohist mechanical techniques and fighting at close quarters with mountain-style boxing. Amid blood and fire, they defended their homeland and forged a legendary tale of resistance that united martial valor, ingenuity, and cultural heritage.
